Health and education for children in Chiapas

HEALTH AND EDUCATION REPORT OF CHILDREN IN CHIAPAS

2017 UPDATE

As we have been told you, this year we are celebrating our 20^th anniversary! As part of the celebration, we facilitated a two-day forum on August 11 and 12. We want to share with you a video that compile the voices of children and adolescent in relation to Lekil Kuxlejal (good living in Totsil, one of the most important indigenous languages of Chiapas.)  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW50gu97DTA&feature=youtu.be

Arrumacos, Center for Early-Childhood Stimulation

As you know, at Melel Xojobal we have a center for early-childhood stimulation called “Arrumacos”, a Spanish word that means a “gesture of affection”.

Arrumacos is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Our work there has two primary objectives: giving single mothers a safe place where they can leave their children while they are working; and to improve the knowledge, abilities, and nutrition of small children.

We offer three types of activities:

• Guided activities: These are guided based on the themes that are being worked on, by our two educators and two volunteers. Children are free to participate or not.
• Semi-guided activities: Educators suggest 2 or 3 activities and decide, with all the children, which one to do (these activities are completed in separate spaces, listed below).
• Free activities: These activities are chosen by all members of Arrumacos. Sometimes, children propose and the educators join them.   Arrumacos is divided into five separate spaces where children can play and learn. They are free to choose between:  

1. Construction corner- Children can strengthen their spatial intelligence through puzzles and shape-fitting toys.
2. Library corner- Children have access to different books they can read by themselves or with help.
3. Small house corner- Children can use diverse toys in the shape of domestic tools such as irons, brooms, stoves, refrigerators, etc.
4. Music and movement- Children play with toys shaped like musical instruments or toys that make musical sounds.
5. Art and drawing- Children are provided with paper, colored pencils or crayons, and paint so that they may express themselves through drawing and painting.

Early-Childhood Stimulation

We contribute to cognitive, social, physical and psychological development of the children.

Based on the concept of protagonist participation, we seek to generate changes in the conditions and collective realities of girls and boys. This is a process that involves actions of autonomy, decision making, expression of ideas and opinions and dialogue between peers, regarding what children need, interests or affects them in their life.

In the past four months, we have developed different activities with the children, as listed below:

• Listening Circle: this activity encourages childhood’s leadership, emphasizing in their feelings, listening to others and talking about their experiences. 
• Early stimulation of sensory development: through different activities, children are invited to touch, listen, create sounds and see images, in order to develop their senses.
• Discovering bugs and insects: through the exploration of a natural environment, kids are taught about the life and atmosphere of butterflies, ants, spiders and earthworms.
• Discovering farm’s animals: in this space, children are able to see and hear farm animals such as dogs, pigs, horses, cows, chickens, ducks and sheep, in order to identify them and their lives.
• The Body: this space is orientated to recognize the body and its parts. Through the dancing, painting, massaging and drawing, children are taught about the movement, recognizing their own bodies and its parts.
• Cultural Identity: in this activity, children are taught about “Día de Muertos” (Day of the Dead), one of the most important national festivities, focused on gatherings of family and friends to pray for, and remember, friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey.  
• Initiation to reading and discovering books: trough tis activity, the kids choose books that are read during the day. Also, the parents are invited to share stories with the group, reading stories to the kids.

In Melel Xojobal we believe in the collaborative work to improve lives and realities of the children.

For this reason, the work with children’s families of Arrumacos, is vital for developing the primary skills of the kids. That is why, through the year, we develop participative workshops with families, in order to work on topics related to nutrition, parenting patterns, stimulation and education, among others.

In the course of the year, we have developed the following workshops:

• Identity and Citizenship: we want to propitiate, in mothers and fathers, the reflection from personal and community experience of their identity and sense of belonging that contributes in the developing of their children’s identity and citizenship.
• Multiple Intelligences: we want to stimulate, in parents, the recognition of their children’s capacities, talents and abilities.
• Violence: this workshop is oriented to strength, in women, knowledge regarding gender violence. In addition to working on constructions and significances of violence, participants meditate from its own personal experiences.
• Parenting patterns: through this workshop, we want the families to meditate about good treatment and conflict resolution strategies.
• Early stimulation of sensory development: this workshop aims to accompany parents to make a sensory book of early stimulation for their daughter or son with which, through the game, strengthen their emotional relationship.
• Perceptive feeding: the aim is to meditate, with the families, about feeding and affective bonds, in order to improve children’s nutritional status. This activity was developed after the earthquake that Chiapas suffered in September, that is why was also used as a safe space for children and their families, to share their feelings and experiences related to what happened.